DOCSLIB.ORG

Charity and Giving in Monotheistic Religions

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Charity and Giving in Monotheistic Religions Studien zur Geschichte und !(ultur Charity and Giving des islamischen Orients in Monotheistic Religions Beihefte zur Zeitschrift "Der Islam" Herausgegeben von Edited by Lawrence I. Conrad Miriam Frenkel and Yaacov Lev Neue Folge Band 22 Walter de Gruyter . Berlin· New York Walter de Gruyter . Berlin· New York In Memoriam Zeev Rubin (1942-2009) @ Printed on acid-free paper which falls within the guidelines of the ANSI to ensure permanence and durability. ISBN 978-3-11-020946-4 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Charity and giving in monotheistic religion I [edited by] Miriam Frenkel and Yaacov Lev. p. cm. - (Studien zur Geschichte und Kultur des islamischen Ori­ ents, ISSN 1862-1295 ; Bd. 22) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-3-11-020946-4 (hardcover: alk. paper) 1. Genorosity. 2. Genorosity - Religious aspects. 3. Monotheism. 4. Charity. 1. Frenkel, Miriam. II. Lev, Yaacov. B]1533.G4G46 2009 205' .677-dcn 2009004216 Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available in the Internet at htrp:lldnb.d-nb.de. © Copyright 2009 by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, D-10785 Berlin. All rights reserved, including those of translation into foreign languages. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or me­ chanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in Germany Cover design: Christopher Schneider, Laufen Charity and Piety for the Transformation of the Cities The New Direction in Taxation and Waqf Policy in Mid-Twelfth-Century Syria and Northern Mesopotamia STEFAN HEIDEMANN 1. IntroductionI This strange system by which the dead provide for rhe living is typical for a sociery which is becoming static and ceases to be competitive and enterpris- mg.. 2 This is how Shlomo Dov Goitein, the author ofA Mediterranean Society, perceived the impact of the endowment (waqf) on Muslim societies dur­ ing the period of Changes in the Middle East (950-1150).3 Research ef­ forts over the past 35 years have proved the opposite of Goitein's claim. A thorough examination of the wealth of the Ottoman archives has led to this re-assessment. For Goitein's period, however, deeds of waqfendow­ ments are almost nonexistent. The impact of the institution of the This contribution would not have been possible without the splendid academic environment created by the Institute for Advanced Studies at Hebrew Universiry in Jerusalem. Between September 2006 and February 2007 I had the honour to join the Institute as a fellow of the research group 'Chariry and Piery from Late Antiquiry to the Middle Ages' organized by Miriam Frenkel and Yaacov Lev. I owe much to numerous discussions with all members of this group. At the same time this work is part of a larger research project 'The New Economic Dy­ namics in the Zangid and Ayyubid Period' supported by the German Research Foundations (DFG) since 2004. A German version of this study appears in Stif tungen im Islam. Rechtsentwicklung undsoziale Bedeutung vom 7 bis zum 21. Jahr­ hundert, (eds) Astrid Meier and Johannes Pahlitzsch, (Berlin, forthcoming). I would especially like to express my gratitude to Emilie Norris for various com­ ments and careful reading and improving the English draft. 2 Sh. D. Goitein: "Changes in the Middle East (950-1150) as Illustrated by the Documents of the Geniza", Islamic Civilisation 950-1150, Papers on Islamic History III, (ed) D. S. Richards, (Oxford, 1973), 17-32. 3 See fn. 2. 154 Stefan Heidemann Chatity and Piety for the Transformation ofthe Cities 155 th waqfduring the period of urban transformation in the 6th/12 century, programs9 are all comparatively well-known, less familiar are the econom­ therefore, is far less known.4 ic structures behind this blossoming. One could describe the 6th/12th century in Syria and northern Meso­ Mter the Seljuqs had laid the military, administrative, and fiscal foun­ potamia as anything but static. It was a time of renewal and of the final dations, the Zangids conducted far-reaching economic and fiscal reforms Islamization of the cityscapes. A vast building program finally trans­ that allowed for that urban transformation. At the same time the Zangids formed the late Roman/early Islamic city of the sixth to the tenth centu­ adjusted many of the existing political and economic institutions to the ries-followed by almost two centuries ofdecline-to the prosperous me­ regulations and stipulations of the revealed law, the shari'a. The Zangid's dieval5 city of the twelfth to the sixteenth centuries which can be still seen care for Islam, its law and its jihad was vital for their legitimization of in the old towns ofmodern cities in the Middle East. The majority of the power; it distinguished their rule from that of other rival Seljuq princi­ urban populations had become Muslim by now,6 and the appearance of palities in the eyes of their contemporaries, and helped them to gain le­ the cities was dominated by Islamic buildings and institutions.? While the gitimacyas foreign Turkish rulers over the indigenous, mostly Arab and urban decline prior to the Seljuq conquest, the beginning of the urban, Aramaic population. political, and economic renaissances, and the extensive Zangid building Which legal and political instruments for this economic growth were at the disposal of the Zangids? This contribution will study the phenom­ 4 M. Hoexter: "Waqf Studies in the Twentieth Century", jESHO, 41 (1998), enon of the waqfsystem as one important element that led to the final m 474-495. Studies on the waqf in the 6'h112 century are rare, see Y. Frenkel: Islamization of the cities and to their economic revival. Related elements "Political and Social Aspects of Islamic Religious Endowments (awqa/J: Saladin include taxation, iqta' and the monetary system. IO In the middle of the in Cairo (1169-1173) and Jerusalem (1187-1193)", BSOAS, 62 (1999), 1-20, th th and J. Pahlitzsch: "The Transformation of Latin Religious Institutions into Is­ 6 /12 century a new waqf-policy was inaugurated by a ruler from the lamic Endowments by Saladin in Jerusalem", Governing the Holy City. The Inter­ Seljuq tradition, Nur al-Din Mahmud ibn Zangi (r. 541-569/1146­ action of Social Groups in Medieval jerusalem, (eds) J. Pahlitzsch and 1. Korn, 1174). The intention ofhis waqfpolicy went far beyond the mere financ­ (Wiesbaden, 2004), 47-69. ing of single institutions. waqfpolicy meant the systematic use of a legal 5 The term 'Middle Ages' is here applied to the second flowering of Islamic civi­ ll lization from the Seljuqs to the early Ottomans, in contrast to the early Islamic instrument of private law for general public duties and purposes which 12 period and the period of the early modern Islamic empires, the Ottomans, the fell-in the broad sense-under the responsibility of the state. This Safawids and the Mughals. 6 According to estimates, the majority of the population in the Middle East be­ came Muslim between the end of the ninth and the twelfth centuries, with re­ ran von der Zeit der beduinischen Vorherrschaft bis zu den Seldschuken, Islamic gional differences. R. W Bulliet attempts a statistical analysis based on collections HistOlY and Civilization. Studies and Texts, 40, (Leiden, 2002). of biographies; R. W Bulliet: Conversion to Islam in the Medieval Period. An Essay 9 Y. A. al-Tabba: The Architectural Patronage ofNul' ai-Din (lJ46-1I74), PhD in Quantitative History (Cambridge, London, 1979). M. G. Morony studies in­ dissertation, (New York, 1982). dividual reports on conversions; M. G. Morony: "The Age of Conversions. A 10 For these other elements see S. Heidemann: "Arab Nomads and Seljuq Military", Re-Assessment", Conversion and Continuity. Indigenous Christian Communities Shifts and Drifts in Nomad-Sedentary Relations, Nomaden und Sesshafre 2, (eds) in Islamic Lands, Eighth to Eighteenth Centuries, Papers in Medieval Studies 9, S. Leder and B. Streck, (Wiesbaden, 2005), 289-305; S. Heidemann: "financ­ (eds) M. Gervers and R. J. Bikhazi, (Toronto, 1990), 135-150. N. Levtzion ing the Tribute to the Kingdom of Jerusalem: An Urban Tax in Damascus. In: studies conversion in Syria and Palestine within the context of historical develop­ BSOAS70 (2007),117-142; and S. Heidemann: "Economic Growth and Cur­ ments in the region; Levtzion, N. "Conversion to Islam in Syria and Palestine rency in Ayyubid Palestine", Ayyubid Jerusalem: The Holy City in Context, (ed) and the Survival of Christian Communities", Conversion and Continuity. Indige­ R. Hillenbrand, (London, 2009). nous Christian Communities in Islamic Lands, Eighth to Eighteenth Centuries, Pa­ 11 The term 'public duties' does not exist as such in medieval Arabic terminology. It pers in Medieval Studies, 9, (eds) M. Gervers and R. J. Bikhazi, (Toronto, 1990), is used here in a hermeneutical sense: It means duties which are today usually 289-311. assigned to the state, and which the early Islamic state like the late Roman per­ 7 E. Wirth: Die Orientalische Stadt im islamischen Vorderasien und Nordafrika, formed. The term 'masalih al-muslimin' (welfare of the Muslims) might be the (Maim, 2000). closest Arabic rendering. 8 S. Heidemann: Die Renaissance del' Stiidte in NOI-dsyrien und Nordmesopotamien. 12 It is possible to use the term 'economic policy' for the Zangids: The policy mak­ Stadtische Entwicklung und wirtschaftliche Bedingungen in al-Raqqa und Har- ers were aware of the main economic impacts of their decisions and actions. They 156 Stefan Heidemann Charity and Piety for the Transformation of the Cities 157 function of the waqfis familiar to scholars of the Mamluk and Ottoman Exploration of the role of the waqfduring this period of urban ren­ periods, but it is not yet established when and why this conscious policy aissance and transformation contributes to the theory of economic began in the Seljuq and Zangid period.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Saladin and the Ayyubid Campaigns in the Maghrib Saladino Y Las Campañas Ayyubíes En El Magreb
    Alcantara 2 Vol XXXIV (3)_Maquetación 1 09/12/13 17:42 Página 267 AL-QANTARA XXXIV 2, julio-diciembre 2013 pp. 267-295 ISSN 0211-3589 doi: 10.3989/alqantara.2013.010 Saladin and the Ayyubid Campaigns in the Maghrib Saladino y las campañas ayyubíes en el Magreb Amar Baadj University of Toronto, Canada Este artículo trata sobre la conquista de Libia This article concerns the conquest of Libya y Túnez por Saladino (Salah al-Din) y los Ay- and Tunisia by Saladin (Salah al-Din) and the yubíes en las décadas de 1170 y 1180. En pri- Ayyubids in the 1170s and 1180s. First it pres- mer lugar se presenta una reconstrucción de ents a reconstruction of the campaigns con- las campañas dirigidas por los mamelucos ay- ducted by the Ayyubid mamluks Sharaf al-Din yubíes Sharaf al-Din Qaraqush e Ibn Qaratikin Qaraqush and Ibn Qaratikin in Libya and the en Libia y de la guerra entre los almohades y conflict in Ifriqiya (Tunisia) between the Al- los Ayyubíes en Ifriqiya (Túnez) basada en mohads and the Ayyubids based on the rele- fuentes primarias relevantes. A continuación vant primary sources. Then the extent to se estudia en qué medida Saladino fue el res- which Saladin was responsible for these mili- ponsable de estas expediciones militares y, fi- tary expeditions is considered and finally the nalmente, se discute el motivo de dichas issue of the motive behind them is discussed. expediciones. Se llega a la conclusión de que It is concluded that Salah al-Din and his amirs Saladino y sus emires invadieron el Magreb invaded the Maghrib in order to control the con el fin de controlar los puntos septentrio- northern termini of the eastern and central nales de los ejes oriental y central de las rutas axes of the trans-Saharan trade routes, thereby comerciales que cruzaban el Sahara y con esto gaining access to the West African gold which lograr tener acceso al oro de África Occidental passed along these routes.
    [Show full text]
  • Gunpowder Empires
    Gunpowder Empires James Gelvin “Modern Middle East” Part 1 - Chapter 2 expanded lecture notes by Denis Bašić Gunpowder Empires • These empires established strong centralized control through employing the military potential of gunpowder (naval and land-based siege cannons were particularly important). • The major states of the Western Hemisphere were destroyed by European gunpowder empires while throughout the Eastern Hemisphere, regional empires developed on the basis of military power and new centralized administrations. • The world gunpowder empires were : the Ottoman, Safavid, Moghul, Habsburg, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese. • Emperor vs. King Military Patronage State • brought to the Middle East by Turkic and Mongolian rulers • Their three main characteristics are : • they were essentially military • all economic resources belonged to the chief military family or families • their laws combined dynastic laws, local laws, and Islamic law (shari’a) Ottoman Empire - 1st Islamic gunpowder empire • The Ottoman Empire was the first of the three Islamic empires to harness gunpowder. • Most probably the Ottomans learned of gunpowder weapons from renegade Christians and used it to devastating effects in the Battle of Kosovo in 1389. • The Ottomans used the largest cannons of the time to destroy the walls and conquer Constantinople in 1453. They conquered Constantinople the same year when the Hundred Years’ (116-year) War in Europe ended. The Siege of Constantinople (painted 1499) Sultan Mehmed II (1432-1481) on the road to the siege of Constantinople painter : Fausto Zonaro (1854-1929) The Great Ottoman Bombard Prior to the siege of Constantinople it is known that the Ottomans held the ability to cast medium-sized cannon, yet nothing near the range of some pieces they were able to put to field.
    [Show full text]
  • IMAD AL-DIN AL-KATIB AL-ISFAHANI1 in A
    MY LIFE WITH SALAH AL-DIN: THE MEMOIRS OF ‘IMAD AL-DIN AL-KATIB AL-ISFAHANI1 In a highly original work of medieval Arabic literature, ‘Imad al-Din Abu ‘Abdallah Muhammad ibn Safiyy al-Din Muhammad, known as al-‘Imad or as al-Katib al-Isfahani (1125- 1201), recorded his life and work as the highest ranking katib (secretary or scribe) at the courts of both Nur al-Din and Salah al-Din [Saladin] in Syria and, through his dealings with them, provided a distinctly personal and authoritative assessment of these two princes and their reigns. The book was affectionately dedicated to Salah al-Din and was completed in 1199, six years after his death (Abu Shama 1962, 2: 234; Ibn Khallikan 1968-72, 5: 152). It was entitled al- Barq al-Shami (The Syrian Thunderbolt), an allusion to the brief and intense reigns of Nur al- Din and Salah al-Din, the two heroes of the jihad against the Crusaders, who, ‘Imad al-Din implies, were never to be equaled by their successors. Al-Barq al-Shami is a kind of professional diary; it includes personal memoranda, reflections, and copious quotations from ‘Imad al-Din's poems, official letters, and diplomas of investiture woven into a year-by-year chronicle of his service in the administration of the two sovereigns (1167-1193). It originally filled either seven or nine volumes but of them only volumes three and five — covering the years 1177-79 and 1182-83 respectively — remain; they were recently edited and published in Amman (al-Katib [3] and [5] 1987).
    [Show full text]
  • ISLAMICJERUSALEM in the EYES of SALAH AL-DIN: Rr a CRITICAL ANALYTICAL STUDY of the LIBATION of the CITY from the CRUSADERS
    Ek III: Tarablisi Vib isimli gayrimüslimin, gelirini Kudüs'te Deyr-i um'd oturan Journal of Islamicjerusalem Studies, 2019, 19(1): 65-80 Rum rahiplerine vakfettiği iki evin, vakıf mütevellisi tarafından Efrenc Katolik DOI: 10.31456/beytulmakdis.573678 rahiplerine satıldığından bahisle satılan iki evin satışının iptal edilerek geri alınmaları hususunda hüküm. (BOA, A. DVNS. AHK. ŞM. d. nr. 8, s. 28, Evâhir-i ISLAMICJERUSALEM IN THE EYES OF SALAH AL-DIN: Muharre 251). A CRITICAL ANALYTICAL STUDY OF THE LIBATION OF THE CITY FROM THE CRUSADERS Maher Y. ABU-MUNSHAR* ABSTRACT: Nearly a century after the brutal, and unforgiving, Crusader conquest of Islamicjerusalem, Sultan Salah al-Din succeeded in 1187CE in liberating the city. This seemingly insurmountable feat was accomplished when Salah al-Din succeeded in unifying the diverse racial, ethnic and denominational Muslims into a single, coherent fighting force - under his capable leadership. Consequently, this paper explores the nature of Salah al-Din's headship and the precise strategies he used in team-building, team-management that proved essential in his bid to restore the holy city to the Muslims. Moreover, this paper will examine the striking magnanimity Salah al-Din displayed towards the Christians, and others, in Islamicjerusalem – including their holy sanctuaries. KEYWORDS: Bayt al-Maqdis, Balian of Ibelin, Hittin, Dome of the Rock, the Holy Sepulchre, Palestine. INTRODUCTION Salah al-Din or Yusuf Ibn Ayyub was born in 532 AH /1137 CE in the town of Takrit, in modern Iraq (Reston, 2001: 4). Up until that date, Islamicjerusalem was already under the rule of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem for nearly 38 years since 1099 CE (Maalouf, 2006:50).
    [Show full text]
  • Mamluk Architectural Landmarks in Jerusalem
    Mamluk Architectural Landmarks 2019 Mamluk Architectural in Jerusalem Under Mamluk rule, Jerusalem assumed an exalted Landmarks in Jerusalem religious status and enjoyed a moment of great cultural, theological, economic, and architectural prosperity that restored its privileged status to its former glory in the Umayyad period. The special Jerusalem in Landmarks Architectural Mamluk allure of Al-Quds al-Sharif, with its sublime noble serenity and inalienable Muslim Arab identity, has enticed Muslims in general and Sufis in particular to travel there on pilgrimage, ziyarat, as has been enjoined by the Prophet Mohammad. Dowagers, princes, and sultans, benefactors and benefactresses, endowed lavishly built madares and khanqahs as institutes of teaching Islam and Sufism. Mausoleums, ribats, zawiyas, caravansaries, sabils, public baths, and covered markets congested the neighborhoods adjacent to the Noble Sanctuary. In six walks the author escorts the reader past the splendid endowments that stand witness to Jerusalem’s glorious past. Mamluk Architectural Landmarks in Jerusalem invites readers into places of special spiritual and aesthetic significance, in which the Prophet’s mystic Night Journey plays a key role. The Mamluk massive building campaign was first and foremost an act of religious tribute to one of Islam’s most holy cities. A Mamluk architectural trove, Jerusalem emerges as one of the most beautiful cities. Digita Depa Me di a & rt l, ment Cultur Spor fo Department for e t r Digital, Culture Media & Sport Published by Old City of Jerusalem Revitalization Program (OCJRP) – Taawon Jerusalem, P.O.Box 25204 [email protected] www.taawon.org © Taawon, 2019 Prepared by Dr. Ali Qleibo Research Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Jerusalem : in Medieval Fada'il Literature
    JERUSALEM - IN MEDIEV AL F APA'IL LITERATURE (from the tenth to the fourteenth centuries) INTRODUCTl ON 'The term Far:lila (Arab., pI. Fagii'il) means an excellence or excellent quality. The plural Fagii'il indicates a definite category of literature. ,1 This literature exposes the excellencies of things, individuals, groups, places and regions. The Faga'il literature includes among other things the merits Or virtues glorifying the sanctity of Sham and that of Jerusalem. This essay will limit itself to the F agii' il literature' concerned with Jerusalem. The term Fafla'iZ were first used by a few tenth century geo­ graphers, as al-Muqaddasl (d. 375/985), who as his name indicates originated in Jerusalem, and al-Hamadhanl (d. 398/1004) who de­ dicated some chapters in their works about the sanctity of J eru­ salem. 2 A large collection of works called Kutub aZ-Faga'il (Books of virtues) were devoted among other places, to ai- Quds (J erusalem) and which developed in the eleventh century. They were based mainly on fladfths (traditions), legends and folk literature. Among the treatises written at this time, there were a few extracts issued from Khufab (orations) and conferences which were delivered in Jerusalem, Damascus and Baghdad around the twelfth century. 3 The theme of the Faflii'il aimed at encouraging people to visit Jerusalem in order to gain certain spiritual rewards. This aspect of the Fagelil literature, emphasizing the visit or even the pil­ grimage to Jerusalem and its advantages thereof was written and 1 Encyclopedia of Islam, 2nd. ed., s.v·.
    [Show full text]
  • THE REIGN of AL-IHAKIM Bl AMR ALLAH ‘(386/996 - 41\ / \ Q 2 \ % "A POLITICAL STUDY"
    THE REIGN OF AL-IHAKIM Bl AMR ALLAH ‘(386/996 - 41\ / \ Q 2 \ % "A POLITICAL STUDY" by SADEK ISMAIL ASSAAD Thesis submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the University of London May 1971 ProQuest Number: 10672922 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10672922 Published by ProQuest LLC(2017). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 ABSTRACT The present thesis is a political study of the reign of al-Hakim Bi Amr Allah the sixth Fatimid Imam-Caliph who ruled between 386-411/ 996-1021. It consists of a note on the sources and seven chapters. The first chapter is a biographical review of al-Hakim's person. It introduces a history of his birth, childhood, succession to the Caliphate, his education and private life and it examines the contradiction in the sources concerning his character. Chapter II discusses the problems which al-Hakim inherited from the previous rule and examines their impact on the political life of his State. Chapter III introduces the administration of the internal affairs of the State.
    [Show full text]
  • Cry Havoc Règles Fr 20/07/17 10:50 Page1
    ager historique UK_cry havoc règles fr 20/07/17 10:50 Page1 HISTORY & SCENARIOS ager historique UK_cry havoc règles fr 20/07/17 10:50 Page2 © Buxeria & Historic’One éditions - 2017 - v1.0 ager historique UK_cry havoc règles fr 20/07/17 10:50 Page3 SELJUK SULTANATE OF RUM Konya COUNTY OF EDESSA Sis PRINCIPALITY OF ARMENIAN CILICIA Edessa Tarsus Turbessel Harran BYZANTINE EMPIRE Antioch Aleppo PRINCIPALITY OF ANTIOCH Emirate of Shaïzar Isma'ili COUNTY OF GRAND SELJUK TRIPOLI EMPIRE Damascus Acre DAMASCUS F THE MIDDLE EAST KINGDOM IN 1135 TE O OF between the First JERUSALEM and Second Crusades Jerusalem EMIRA N EW S FATIMID 0 150 km CALIPHATE ager historique UK_cry havoc règles fr 20/07/17 10:43 Page1 History The Normans in Northern Syria in the 12th Century 1. Historical background Three Normans distinguished themselVes during the First Crusade: Robert Curthose, Duke of NormandY and eldest son of William the Conqueror 1 Whose actions Were decisiVe at the battle of DorYlea in 1197, Bohemond of Taranto, the eldest son of Robert Guiscard 2, and his nepheW Tancred, Who led one of the assaults upon the Walls of Jerusalem in 1099. Before participating in the crusade, Bohemond had been passed oVer bY his Younger half-brother Roger Borsa as Duke of Puglia and Calabria on the death of his father in 1085. Far from being motiVated bY religious sentiment like GodfreY of Bouillon, the crusade Was for him just another occasion to Wage War against his perennial enemY, BYZantium, and to carVe out his oWn state in the HolY Land.
    [Show full text]
  • Distinguishing the Virtuous City of Alfarabi from That of Plato in Light of His Unique Historical Context
    HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies ISSN: (Online) 2072-8050, (Print) 0259-9422 Page 1 of 9 Original Research Distinguishing the virtuous city of Alfarabi from that of Plato in light of his unique historical context Authors: There is a tendency among scholars to identify Alfarabi’s political philosophy in general and 1 Ishraq Ali his theory of the state in particular with that of Plato’s The Republic. Undoubtedly Alfarabi was Mingli Qin1 well versed in the philosophy of Plato and was greatly influenced by it. He borrows the Affiliations: Platonic concept of the philosopher king and uses it in his theory of the state. However, we 1Faculty of Humanities and argue that the identification of Alfarabi’s virtuous city with that of Plato’sThe Republic is an Social Sciences, Dalian inaccurate assessment as it involves overlooking Alfarabi’s unique religiopolitical context. University of Technology China, Dalian, China Alfarabi was a Muslim political philosopher, and the present article intends to understand Alfarabi’s theory of the state in light of his historical context. The article shows that, viewed Corresponding author: through the prism of Islamic religion and political history, Alfarabi’s virtuous city seems Ishraq Ali, distinct from that of Plato’s The Republic. [email protected] Keywords: Alfarabi; Plato; the Republic; Virtuous city; Utopia; Religion; Politics. Dates: Received: 25 Dec. 2018 Accepted: 22 May 2019 Published: 14 Aug. 2019 Introduction How to cite this article: The Homo sapiens’ need for association has long been acknowledged as a fundamental truth. The Ali, I. & Qin, M., 2019, inherent tendency to form an association is the fundamental characteristic that distinguishes man ‘Distinguishing the virtuous qua man from animals on one hand and God on the other.
    [Show full text]
  • What Every Christian High School Student Should Know About Islam - an Introduction to Islamic History and Theology
    WHAT EVERY CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ISLAM - AN INTRODUCTION TO ISLAMIC HISTORY AND THEOLOGY __________________ A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the School of Theology Liberty University __________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Ministry __________________ by Bruce K. Forrest May 2010 Copyright © 2010 Bruce K. Forrest All rights reserved. Liberty University has permission to reproduce and disseminate this document in any form by any means for purposes chosen by the Seminary, including, without limitation, preservation or instruction. APPROVAL SHEET WHAT EVERY CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ISLAM - AN INTRODUCTION TO ISLAMIC HISTORY AND THEOLOGY Bruce K. Forrest ______________________________________________________ "[Click and enter committee chairman name, 'Supervisor', official title]" ______________________________________________________ "[Click here and type committee member name, official title]" ______________________________________________________ "[Click here and type committee member name, official title]" ______________________________________________________ "[Click here and type committee member name, official title]" Date ______________________________ ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to acknowledge all my courageous brothers and sisters in Christ who have come out of the Islamic faith and have shared their knowledge and experiences of Islam with us. The body of Christ is stronger and healthier today because of them. I would like to acknowledge my debt to Ergun Mehmet Caner, Ph.D. who has been an inspiration and an encouragement for this task, without holding him responsible for any of the shortcomings of this effort. I would also like to thank my wife for all she has done to make this task possible. Most of all, I would like to thank the Lord for putting this desire in my heart and then, in His timing, allowing me the opportunity to fulfill it.
    [Show full text]
  • Let's Talk About Sex and Gender: the Case of Iran a Book Review Hafsa
    The Fletcher School Online Journal for issues related to Southwest Asia and Islamic Civilization Spring 2011 Let’s Talk About Sex and Gender: The Case of Iran A Book Review Hafsa Kanjwal During a widely reported and The second book, entitled Sexual Politics in controversial lecture at Columbia University in Modern Iran , by Janet Afary describes the New York, the Iranian President, Mahmoud evolution of sexuality in Iran as well as the Ahmadinejad, boldly declared: "In Iran we don't struggle for women’s equal rights from the 1 have homosexuals like in your country.” His nineteenth century to the present day. Although statement, which caused ripples internationally, both books overlap in themes they explore and especially in the United States, underscores the conclusions they draw, Najmabadi’s book prolonged tensions on the subject of gender and proves to be more unconventional as it moves sexuality in modern Iran, a nation experiencing beyond the traditional 2 what many have called “a sexual revolution.” historiography of women Mahmoud Ahmadinejad How do we come to understand the history and gender in Islamicate boldy declared that: “In behind these tensions? How does this history societies, while Afary’s Iran we don’t have relate to the broader historiography of gender and book is firmly situated 3 homosexuals like in sexuality in the Islamicate? This review will look within it. at two recent works, both published in the past your country.” His decade, that have attempted to address these HISTORIOGRAPHY OF statement… questions. The first book, entitled Women with GENDER AND underscores prolonged Mustaches and Men Without Beards: Gender and SEXUALITY IN THE tensions on the subject Sexual Anxieties of Iranian Modernity , by Afsaneh ISLAMICATE of gender and sexuality Najmabadi draws upon visual and literary The literature on in modern Iran.
    [Show full text]
  • The Decrees of Islam by Dr Radhasyam Brahmachari
    The Decrees of Islam by Dr Radhasyam Brahmachari 31 Dec, 2008 Introduction After the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Centre and the sequence of events that followed—the war in Afghanistan, the terrorist attacks on the Indian Parliament House in Delhi and on the American Centre in Kolkata, and the burning of about 60 people alive at Godhra (that triggered the Gujarat massacre)—the people of India, especially the Hindus, have become curious about the religion of Islam. They are trying to know more about it. But a group of motivated intellectuals, mostly from the so-called secular camp, have come forward to present a distorted image of Islam with a sinister design to confuse non-Muslims, the Hindus included. They say that the true meaning of Islam is ‘peace’, that Islam is an extremely tolerant and peaceful religion; it has nothing to do with terrorism. They add that no religion teaches killing of innocent people, that terrorists—who kill innocent people—are only transgressing the teachings of Islam and that they have no religion and so on. Above all, they are telling lies that the Koran does not preach bloodshed or violence. This essay highlights the fundamental aspects of Islam, which will help enlighten non-Muslims about the aims and objectives of the Islam faith that originated in Arabia fourteen centuries ago. The Koran and Sunnah (Hadis or Prophet’s Tradition) are the fundamental source-books of Islamic theology. The Koran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad by Allah, the Islamic God, Himself; its content is, therefore, indisputable.
    [Show full text]